Great British Garden Bird Watch Results.

[clivehorridge]

Is it true they’re much more noticible during the cold of winter?

They tend to stand out more somehow Rich...

 

[frank rabbets]

Sorry about the deterioration of this previously serious thread but my pecker does not stand out at all when there's cold weather about.

 

[StarCruiser]

You have a woodpecker do you frank?

 

[Towpack]

We’ve got several feeders out which we fill regularly with sunflower seeds and various other goodies which attract numerous Tits and Finches. We buy the food in bulk which works out much cheaper. We also have a small bird box on the back fence which has raised two Blue Tit clutches over the last two years. A few Magpies and a pair of Crows are also regular visitors which are too big to land on the feeders but are attracted to the scraps we put on the shed roof. Whenever we get mice in the traps in the shed, we just throw them on the shed roof and they’re gone in minutes, usually the Crows. We also have a bird table which was originally a house for a pair of white Doves we had years ago. The pests are also attracted. The occasional rat which succumbs to a 22 air rifle, grey squirrels (I’m working on some sort of electric shock device to keep them off) and two flying dustbins (wood Pigeons) which are right greedy b******s! The star of the show for us though is the Sparrow Hawk which must nest nearby and is obviously attracted by the smaller bird life. Seeing it take a small bird is a sight to behold.
My Dad was the main ‘twitcher’ in the family and would spend hours watching the activity from the rear office window. When he passed away last year we decided to keep up the feeding regime as another way of remembering him.

 

[froggy Steve]

Last year i caught a young sparrow hawk. I was mowing a garden and he hopped out from a bush but couldnt fly - I thought he was injured so managed to catch him in me hat Turned him over and got stabbed by a claw, but sussed out pretty well imediately he was only a baby - he still had down on his kneck turned him on his feet and off he hopped, a few mins later we spotted mum chasing of a buzzard who had come into range! We often see him or probably more mum, at the garden

 

[Chas]

We’ve got several feeders out which we fill regularly with sunflower seeds and various other goodies which attract numerous Tits and Finches. We buy the food in bulk which works out much cheaper. We also have a small bird box on the back fence which has raised two Blue Tit clutches over the last two years. A few Magpies and a pair of Crows are also regular visitors which are too big to land on the feeders but are attracted to the scraps we put on the shed roof. Whenever we get mice in the traps in the shed, we just throw them on the shed roof and they’re gone in minutes, usually the Crows. We also have a bird table which was originally a house for a pair of white Doves we had years ago. The pests are also attracted. The occasional rat which succumbs to a 22 air rifle, grey squirrels (I’m working on some sort of electric shock device to keep them off) and two flying dustbins (wood Pigeons) which are right greedy b******s! The star of the show for us though is the Sparrow Hawk which must nest nearby and is obviously attracted by the smaller bird life. Seeing it take a small bird is a sight to behold.
My Dad was the main ‘twitcher’ in the family and would spend hours watching the activity from the rear office window. When he passed away last year we decided to keep up the feeding regime as another way of remembering him.

We had three bird feeders for seeds, the sparrows love them but they are messy eaters, they spilt more than they ate I've since bought a fat ball feeder to replace one of the seed feeders, which doesn't spill so much.


The spilt seed attracted rats, so I bought a quite powerful Crossman CO2 air pistol with a laser sight which has disposed of a few of them, I do have an even more powerful spring air rifle a Weihrauch HW35E but that's no good for close range, it's difficult to aim accurately at short distances without resetting the scope. I haven't seen any rats for a while now, perhaps I've finished them off.


It took quite a while for the spadgers to get used to the fat ball feeders but they are well into it now.


I don't smoke indoors anymore (my wife has asthma) so I sit in the garden with a fag and watch the birdies feeding, we get hordes of the little birds including a couple of tit like ones I couldn't tell you what they are, I'll have to get a bird watchers book.

 

[Towpack]

I do have an even more powerful spring air rifle a Weihrauch HW35E but that's no good for close range, it's difficult to aim accurately at short distances without resetting the scope.

I’ve also got a 35E Chas, walnut stock, chequered pistol group, 22” barrel and leather sling. Must be 35 years old now, a beautiful looking thing but I bought one of the newer bolt action pneumatic pump up rifles with a 10 shot clip which makes a second shot (if you need one) much quicker. Those Early Weirauchs are real quality and made to last.

 

[Chas]

I’ve also got a 35E Chas, walnut stock, chequered pistol group, 22” barrel and leather sling. Must be 35 years old now, a beautiful looking thing but I bought one of the newer bolt action pneumatic pump up rifles with a 10 shot clip which makes a second shot (if you need one) much quicker. Those Early Weirauchs are real quality and made to last.

Yep, you can't beat that German engineering, I've also got a BSA Airsporter, (under lever cocking)must be an antique by now.

 

[clivehorridge]

Came across this today, it appealed to me for some unknown reason....

 

[frank rabbets]

What species is that then? Sounds like a cross between a song thrush and nightingale.